the haunted house

by human being illustrations by rhoda penmarq i she was standing in the hall with two suitcases the telephone was ringing she decided not to answer it she was not leaving she had just arrived let's not listen to others this time, she whispered to herself ii the walls of the hallway were all white and bare except one with a tall mirror reflecting her figure dressed in black she opened the suitcases they were packed with framed portraits she decided not to hang them on the walls she leaned them against the walls one by one let's not listen to others this time, she whispered to herself iii the sitting room was even bleaker than the hall a lone armchair was sitting in front of a cold fireplace she decided not to take the seat the adjacent room was the library the walls were hidden behind the orderly rows of bookshelves she stood there for a long while reading the titles of the books leafing through some of them she picked out a very thick one and carried it to the fireplace let's not listen to others this time, she whispered to herself iv she lay down on the small rug in the middle of the sitting room listening to the soothing sound of books burning in the fireplace shadows were dancing gracefully on the walls and the ceiling she closed her eyes feeling something thawing within her dripping on the rug flowing on the floor traveling through the house room by room a scratching sound stopped the flow two cats were behind the window in the dark wintry night looking through the misty glass right into her eyes she decided not to ignore them and let them in along with a chilly gust of wind, they jumped into the sitting room paying no attention to anything but the door to the hall where they cuddled up in the suitcases left wide open she leaned against the door frame contently watching the cats disregarding the frowning face in the portrait in front of her let's not listen to others this time, she whispered to herself v a dripping sound echoed in the house she followed it when she arrived in the kitchen, it started to rain she decided not to use an umbrella let's not listen to others this time, she whispered to herself all night she was washing the dishes under the rain next